Recommended Reads
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A Flag for Juneteenth
Expert quilter Kim Taylor shares a unique and powerful story of the celebration of the first Juneteenth, from the perspective of a young girl.
On June 19, 1865, in Galveston, General Gordon Granger of the Union Army delivered the message that African Americans in Texas were free. Since then, Juneteenth, as the day has come to be known, has steadily gained recognition throughout the United States. ln 2020,a powerful wave of protests and demonstrations calling for racial justice and equality brought new awareness to the significance of the holiday.
A Flag for Juneteenth depicts a close-knit community of enslaved African Americans on a plantation in Texas, the day before the announcement is to be made that all enslaved people are free. Young Huldah, who is preparing to celebrate her tenth birthday, can’t possibly anticipate how much her life will change that Juneteenth morning. The story follows Huldah and her community as they process the news of their freedom and celebrate together by creating a community freedom flag.
Debut author and artist Kim Taylor sets this story apart by applying her skills as an expert quilter. Each of the illustrations has been lovingly hand sewn and quilted, giving the book a homespun, tactile quality that is altogether unique.
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection -
Juneteenth
A lyrical picture book about our newest national holiday, Juneteenth follows the annual celebration in Galveston, Texas--birthplace of Juneteenth--through the eyes of a boy coming to understand his place in Black American history in a story from three Texan creators.
A young Black child experiences the magic of the Juneteenth parade for the first time with their family as they come to understand the purpose of the party that happens every year--and why they celebrate their African American history!
The poetic text includes selected lyrics from "Lift Every Voice and Sing," the unofficial Black National Anthem, and the vibrant art illuminates the beauty of this moment of Black joy, celebrated across the nation. This vibrant adventure through the city streets invites young readers to make a joyful noise about freedom for all.
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We Were Eight Years in Power
In this “urgently relevant”* collection featuring the landmark essay “The Case for Reparations,” the National Book Award–winning author of Between the World and Me “reflects on race, Barack Obama’s presidency and its jarring aftermath”*—including the election of Donald Trump.
New York Times Bestseller • Finalist for the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize
Named One of the Best Books of the Year by The New York Times • USA Today • Time • Los Angeles Times • San Francisco Chronicle • Essence • O: The Oprah Magazine • The Week • Kirkus Reviews
*Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“We were eight years in power” was the lament of Reconstruction-era black politicians as the American experiment in multiracial democracy ended with the return of white supremacist rule in the South. In this sweeping collection of new and selected essays, Ta-Nehisi Coates explores the tragic echoes of that history in our own time: the unprecedented election of a black president followed by a vicious backlash that fueled the election of the man Coates argues is America’s “first white president.”
But the story of these present-day eight years is not just about presidential politics. This book also examines the new voices, ideas, and movements for justice that emerged over this period—and the effects of the persistent, haunting shadow of our nation’s old and unreconciled history. Coates powerfully examines the events of the Obama era from his intimate and revealing perspective—the point of view of a young writer who begins the journey in an unemployment office in Harlem and ends it in the Oval Office, interviewing a president.
We Were Eight Years in Power features Coates’s iconic essays first published in The Atlantic, including “Fear of a Black President,” “The Case for Reparations,” and “The Black Family in the Age of Mass Incarceration,” along with eight fresh essays that revisit each year of the Obama administration through Coates’s own experiences, observations, and intellectual development, capped by a bracingly original assessment of the election that fully illuminated the tragedy of the Obama era. We Were Eight Years in Power is a vital account of modern America, from one of the definitive voices of this historic moment. -
Presence
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Landman: Season One
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Dune: Prophecy Season 1
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My Dead Friend Zoe
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Better Man
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Black Bag
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Mickey 17
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Captain America: Brave New World
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The Seed of the Sacred Fig
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Marsha
Featured in The New York Times's Nonfiction to Read This Spring
Black transgender luminary Tourmaline brings to life the first definitive biography of the revolutionary activist Marsha P. Johnson, one of the most important and remarkable figures in LGBTQIA+ history, revealing her story, her impact, and her legacy.
“She is the preeminent and foremost scholar on Marsha P. Johnson. . . . To us, Tourmaline is the expert.”—Janet Mock, Allure
“Thank god the revolution has begun, honey.” Rumor has it that after Marsha P. Johnson threw the first brick in the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, she picked up a shard of broken mirror to fix her makeup. Marsha, a legendary Black transgender activist, embodied both the beauty and the struggle of the early gay rights movement. Her work sparked the progress we see today, yet there has never been a definitive record of her life. Until now.
Written with sparkling prose, Tourmaline’s richly researched biography Marsha finally brings this iconic figure to life, in full color. We vividly meet Marsha as both an activist and artist: She performed with RuPaul and with the internationally renowned drag troupe The Hot Peaches. She was a muse to countless artists from Andy Warhol to the band Earth, Wind & Fire. And she continues to inspire people today.
Marsha didn’t wait to be freed; she declared herself free and told the world to catch up. Her story promises to inspire readers to live as their most liberated, unruly, vibrant, and whole selves. -
What My Father and I Don't Talk About
A follow-up to the wildly successful What My Mother and I Don’t Talk About, this collection of essays from sixteen notable writers breaks the silence on the complex—and sometimes contentious—relationships we have with our fathers.
What My Mother and I Don’t Talk About has become a rare gem in the literary world. Both a viral sensation online and chosen by Oprah Daily as one of the best nonfiction books of the past two decades, it is an essential collection that dives into the personal and poignant topics we often struggle to discuss with those who are meant to know and love us best.
This captivating follow-up, edited by Michele Filgate, tackles the intricate and challenging relationships we have with our dads, breaking the silence around these vital connections. Andrew Altschul reflects on the life-altering experience of becoming a father and how it reshaped his view of his own dad’s parenting. Isle McElroy shares memories of weekends spent tagging along as their father fixed up the homes of their wealthier neighbors. Jaquira Díaz delves into her father’s history in 1970s Williamsburg, uncovering the roots of their shared restlessness. Tomás Q. Morín paints a raw portrait of an absentee father, while Kelly McMasters portrays a loving and dedicated one. Maurice Carlos Ruffin insightfully captures a father who communicated through his integrity rather than words. Jiordan Castle reveals how we can love our fathers from a distance and Susan Muaddi Darraj explores the particular challenges of “eldest daughter syndrome” as a daughter of Palestinian immigrants.
With moments that are both humorous and deeply moving, this anthology is the second act that many have been eagerly waiting for.
Contributions by Michele Filgate, Andrew Altschul, Alex Marzano-Lesnevich, Maurice Carlos Ruffin, Dylan Landis, Jaquira Díaz, Kelly McMasters, Isle McElroy, Susan Muaddi Darraj, Tomás Q. Morín, Robin Reif, Heather Sellers, Jiordan Castle, Nayomi Munaweera, Joanna Rakoff, and Julie Buntin. -
We Can Do Hard Things
The #1 New York Times bestselling authors and award-winning podcasters Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, and Amanda Doyle created We Can Do Hard Things—the guidebook for being alive—to help fellow travelers find their way through life.
When you travel through a new country, you need a guidebook.
When you travel through love, heartbreak, joy, parenting, friendship, uncertainty, aging, grief, new beginnings—life—you need a guidebook, too.
We Can Do Hard Things is the guidebook for being alive.
Every day, Glennon Doyle spirals around the same questions: Why am I like this? How do I figure out what I want? How do I know what to do? Why can’t I be happy? Am I doing this right?
The harder life gets, the less likely she is to remember the answers she’s spent her life learning. She wonders: I’m almost fifty years old. I’ve overcome a hell of a lot. Why do I wake up every day having forgotten everything I know?
Glennon’s compasses are her sister, Amanda, and her wife, Abby. Recently, in the span of a single year, Glennon was diagnosed with anorexia, Amanda was diagnosed with breast cancer, and Abby’s beloved brother died. For the first time, they were all lost at the same time. So they turned toward the only thing that’s ever helped them find their way: deep, honest conversations with other brave, kind, wise people.
They asked each other, their dearest friends, and 118 of the world’s most brilliant wayfinders: As you’ve traveled these roads—marriage, parenting, work, recovery, heartbreak, aging, new beginnings—have you collected any wisdom that might help us find our way?
As Glennon, Abby, and Amanda wrote down every life-saving answer, they discovered two things:
1. No matter what road we are walking down, someone else has traveled the same terrain.
2. The wisdom of our fellow travelers will light our way.
They put all of that wisdom in one place: We Can Do Hard Things—a place to turn when you feel clueless and alone, when you need clarity in the chaos, or when you want wise company on the path of life.
We are all life travelers. We don’t have to travel alone. We Can Do Hard Things is our guidebook.
Featuring wisdom from: ALOK • Sara Bareilles • Dr. Yaba Blay • Kate Bowler • adrienne maree brown • Brandi Carlile • Brittney Cooper • Brittany Packnett Cunningham • Kaitlin Curtice • Megan Falley • Jane Fonda • Stephanie Foo • Ashley C. Ford • Ina Garten • Roxane Gay • Andrea Gibson • Elizabeth Gilbert • Dr. Orna Guralnik • Tricia Hersey • Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson • Luvvie Ajayi Jones • Dr. Becky Kennedy • Emily Nagoski • Esther Perel • Ai-Jen Poo • Cole Arthur Riley • Dr. Alexandra Solomon • Cheryl Strayed • Sonya Renee Taylor • Ocean Vuong • And many others
Community Resources
Autism Hope Center, Inc.

Autism Hope Center provides information and programs to improve the lives of children and families in the Chattahoochee Valley affected by autism.
B.R.I.D.G.E. of Columbus

B.R.I.D.G.E is a Columbus, Georgia-based non-profit that works in partnership with Goodwill Southern Rivers to provide educational instruction and support to help young adults earn their GED. Enrollment is open to anyone in the Chattahoochee Valley who does not have a high school diploma.
Bo Bartlett Center

The Bo Bartlett Center at Columbus State University is a dynamic, creative learning laboratory that is part gallery/museum, part experimental arts incubator, and part community center.
Documents & Reports
Title | Report Date | File |
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Cusseta-Chattahoochee County Library Board Meeting Minutes Summary May 2025 | View Document | |
Chattahoochee Valley Regional Library Board Meeting Summary May 2025 | View Document |
Library of Things

We now offer free 3D printing free for all ages. Staff can process 1 (one) single print file (object no larger than 6.5″ x 6″ x 6.5″ and 4 hours to print) per Library user per week.

Large print keyboards for customers with low vision.

Self-monitoring blood pressure cuff kits are available for checkout all all branch locations. Kits can be checked out for 30 days with one (1) possible renewal.
Library Services

CAC readers (DOD / military card readers) are available as an accessory to plug into library desktop computers and other devices. USB port required.

Use desktop computers for free with a library card or guest pass. Computers use a Windows-based operating system and connect to the internet. Please see computer use policy for details.

Computer classes and/or 1-on-1 tech assistance available.
Outreach Services

Library staff will visit classes and share their interests and insights on literature. Teachers may request a focus on specific genre, title(s), or an overarching theme; they may also leave the book selection to our staff.

Muscogee County childcare facilities - Children's Outreach Services can deliver a box of books to your location! A wonderful assortment of 35 picture books, board books, fiction and non-fiction titles for your teachers to share with children.

The Chattahoochee Valley Libraries’ Digital Bookmobile was funded by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. It features free broadband technology, internet access, and regular Library services to residents of Muscogee County.
Passes

Alliance Theatre Community Ticket Pass
Resources
ABC Mouse

With 3,500+ interactive books, educational games, puzzles, and other learning activities, this award-winning online curriculum is an invaluable resource for young learners (ages 2-8+).
Academic Search Complete

Academic Search Complete is a scholarly, multidisciplinary database providing indexing and abstracts for thousands of journals, magazines and other resources, including access to full-text, peer-reviewed journals.
Access Video on Demand

Resources
ABC Mouse

With 3,500+ interactive books, educational games, puzzles, and other learning activities, this award-winning online curriculum is an invaluable resource for young learners (ages 2-8+).
African-American History Online

Brainfuse

GALILEO

GALILEO (GeorgiA LIbrary LEarning Online) is an online library portal to authoritative, subscription-only information that isn’t available through free search engines or Web directories.
Just for Kids: Access Video on Demand

Libby by Overdrive
